TAIPEI, Taiwan -- AU Optronics Corp. (AUO, 友達光電) on Monday began operating a solar energy power plant it built on the roof of its plant in the Central Taiwan Science Park in Taichung and touted the facility's ability to cut carbon emissions by 9,000 metric tons per year.

That is equal to the annual carbon reduction of 34 Daan Forest Parks, AUO Chairman K.Y. Lee (李焜耀) said at the opening ceremony, which was also attended by Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強).

"Taichung will not just be the home of Taiyang Bing (sun cakes) in the future, but also of Taiyang Neng — solar energy," Lee said.

The rooftop solar energy power plant, covering an area the size of 15 soccer fields, was established on the roof of AUO's television panel factory, making it the largest of its kind in Taiwan, according to the TFT-LCD manufacturer.

It was also the first solar plant in Taiwan built on the roof of a factory that produces vibration-sensitive devices, complicating the construction project, AUO said.

The power plant will be able to generate an estimated 46,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per day, enough to meet the consumption of 4,600 households, Lee said.

The entrepreneur also revealed that the power plant, built at a cost of NT$900 million (US$30 million), will generate an annual output of more than NT$90 million worth of electricity.

In the future, all new AUO factories will be constructed with roofs that can support solar panels, Lee said.